ELASTIC STABILITY OF SKEW LAMINATED COMPOSITE PLATES SUBJECTED TO BIAXIAL FOLLOWER FORCES

The present study investigates the elastic stability of skew laminated composite plates subjected to biaxial inplane follower forces by the finite element method. The plate is assumed to follow first-order shea r deformation plate theory (FSDPT). The kinetic and strain energies of skew laminated composite plate and the work done by the biaxial inpla ne follower forces are derived by using tensor theory. Then, by Hamilt on's principle, the dynamic mathematical model to describe the free vi bration of this problem is formed. The finite element method and the i soparametric element are utilized to discretize the continuous system and to obtain the characteristic equations of the present problem. Fin ally, natural vibration frequencies, buckling loads (also the instabil ity types) and their corresponding mode shapes are found by solving th e characteristic equations. Numerical results are presented to demonst rate the effects of those parameters, such as various inplane force co mbinations, skew angle and lamination scheme, on the elastic stability of skew laminated composite plates subjected to biaxial inplane follo wer forces.